Curiosity marketing: The key to engaging your customers

IN our digitally connected world, we are constantly inundated with advertisements. But with such fierce competition from rival companies, how do businesses ensure they get noticed among a sea of competitors?

The answer just might lie in curiosity marketing.

So, what is curiosity marketing?

Put simply, it’s all about enticing customers to want to find out more about your business and making them engage with your content.

It is a psychological tool, marketers can use to help them build relationships with customers and ensure they keep coming back for more.

It is no surprise many of Asia’s businesses, large and small, have cottoned on to the advantages of curiosity marketing.

From new products to upcoming events or releases, companies have been using teaser trailers, publicity stunts and drip-feeding information to entice customers for years. But the rise of social media gives companies a whole new playing field to explore.

In November last year, Uber and creative agency BBH Singapore teamed together for a campaign designed to challenge car ownership in the country.

They placed giant tissue packets in parking spaces around Singapore and enlisted numerous bloggers and influencers to post images of them, igniting a widespread debate online about parking issues.

Uber’s so-called “chope” campaign orientated around the goal of reducing traffic in congested cities across Asia.

The bizarre appearance of the tissues caught people’s attention and the campaign spread like wildfire on social media, getting people thinking and talking about the company.

Part of the campaign’s success was due to the right amount of information being released.

Humans are naturally inquisitive creatures, however, if we have no information, there is nothing for us to be curious about. Give us a little bit and you are likely to grab our attention – we want to find out more.

If you go too far the other way and give us all the information, there is nothing left for us to be curious about.

You need to find the middle ground, that nice little information gap which customers will want filled.

If you want to build a loyal following through curiosity marketing, then make sure you don’t give everything away too soon. Instead, drip feed information out to entice people into engaging with the company.

The key is striking a balance.

Back in 2013, The National Geographic Channel ran a publicity stunt in Singapore where actors wearing military uniform responded to commands from the public to promote series two of a documentary on national service entitled ‘Every Singaporean Son 2: The Making of an Officer’.

The campaign was met with mixed reviews, but it did one thing for sure: it got people talking.

Pique people’s curiosity and they will check back for updates or interact with posts in order to get to the bottom of what you are trying to do.

You can afford to be a little vague with your posts or campaigns because ambiguity will get people asking the right questions and give you the opportunity to connect with your audience, something so crucial to success in the business world.

Isabelle has a keen interest in the disruptive role of technology in the marketplace. Through her articles, she hopes to bring to light, the intricacies of digital strategies and ideas that can transform the world of business. Most of all, she's interested in emerging technologies and their impact on the end user.